Neuropathy Risk Increased in Celiac Disease

HealthDay News — Patients with celiac disease are at increased risk for neuropathy, according to a new study published in JAMA Neurology.

Researchers looked at 28,232 patients with celiac disease and a control group of 139,473 people without the disorder.

The team found that those with celiac disease were more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with neuropathy.

Rates of neuropathy were 0.7% among people with celiac disease and 0.3% in the control group. Among people with celiac disease, the risk for neuropathy was the same for women and men.

“We found an increased risk of neuropathy in patients with celiac disease that persists after celiac disease diagnosis,” Jonas Ludvigsson, MD, PhD, of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, and colleagues wrotte.

“Although absolute risks for neuropathy are low, celiac disease is a potentially treatable condition with a young age of onset. Our findings suggest that screening could be beneficial in patients with neuropathy.”